New Motherboard Details?

[MacRumors]

MacBidouille details some features they claim to be on the upcoming motherboads. These include 2 FW800 ports, 1 FW400 port, 3 USB, 3 Audio Connectors, as well as 5 additional unidentified connectors (in a group of 3 and 2).

[Mblazened]

pictures! we want pics!

[RHutch]

I'm intrigued by the unidentified connectors. Otherwise it's not very interesting.

[astray]

Well i thought it was interesting, since if it is true it rules out Powerbooks as i think it unlikely theyd have those many connectors.

[Vlade]

I'm intrigued by the unidentified connectors. Otherwise it's not very interesting.

I think its interesting, I want to see a picture though

[hvfsl]

At last it looks like Macs will have 5.1 sound. I was going to get a 12in powerbook, but I will now wait to see what Apple releases in June. I wanted to get a mac desktop, but one of the major problems with them is the lack of 5.1 sound.

[hvfsl]

Someone should pretend to sell one of these MBs on ebay and see if apple stops them, then we will know if the rumor is true or not.

[nuckinfutz]

Apple just doesn't create a small BOB with Audio connectivty. 3 ports just for Audio sound like it takes up alot of space.

[evoluzione]

interesting...

just went to Apple SoHo and chatting with one of the "geniuses" there, about WWDC etc, and he was looking forward to panther, so i said, "that's 64bit right?" and a big grin appeared on his face "Haha, I can't comment on that". he knows something. the vibe i got was that there is possibly more than just a new os update.

my point is, this sounds like it's a pretty damn positive sign from MacBidouille.

[nighthawk]

What? No ethernet port????

[whoami]

could those 3 + 2 = component video
and audio?? that would be the joint!

[TylerL]

Originally posted by evoluzione
just went to Apple SoHo and chatting with one of the "geniuses" there, about WWDC etc, and he was looking forward to panther, so i said, "that's 64bit right?" and a big grin appeared on his face "Haha, I can't comment on that". he knows something. the vibe i got was that there is possibly more than just a new os update.

More often than not, that's a grin of "Yes, I read the rumor sites too, and that's all the 'inside info' we get." on Apple Retail faces.

[Frobozz]

Originally posted by Macrumors
MacBidouille details some features they claim to be on the upcoming motherboads. These include 2 FW800 ports, 1 FW400 port, 3 USB, 3 Audio Connectors, as well as 5 additional unidentified connectors (in a group of 3 and 2).

Sounds like he has seen a prototype board, which in no way means the final board will have the same number or configuration of ports. For example, why have 2 firewire 800 and 1 firewire 400 ports? Why not nuke the FW400? Isn't FW800 backwards compatible? Also, 3 audio connectors seems odd. Wouldn't it be more likely to be a video, left audio, right audio.

I have no doubt Macbidouille's source has seen a prototype mac, but I don't think we should expect all of these features to end up in the final ones to be (hopefully) ship near or at WWDC.

[rugby]

No offense, but I HIGHLY doubt somebody working retail knows jack-poop about Panther. I have friends who are ASE's and they will know as much as we will.

Originally posted by evoluzione
interesting...

just went to Apple SoHo and chatting with one of the "geniuses" there, about WWDC etc, and he was looking forward to panther, so i said, "that's 64bit right?" and a big grin appeared on his face "Haha, I can't comment on that". he knows something. the vibe i got was that there is possibly more than just a new os update.

my point is, this sounds like it's a pretty damn positive sign from MacBidouille.

[drastik]

Originally posted by whoami
could those 3 + 2 = component video
and audio?? that would be the joint!

This is probably way, way out of reality, but imagine a mac that is actually designed to be part of your home entertainement system. If there were a kind of wireless display connection, you could have your monitor in any room as long as you had a power outlet (a monitor would kill batteries like flies).

So, the mac sits next to the rest of the sterreo, digital audio out, component video out, remote control of somesort... the true digital hub.

[pyrotoaster]

While this is somewhat interesting (Ooooohh... Mystery Ports), what I want to know is what the deal is with the folks at MacBidouille?

Just about every single Powermac 970 story broken in the last month has come straight from MacBidouille. I want to know where they're getting this seemingly fantastic amount information.

I would guess that either they've got one hell of a source in Apple (or many sources at various manufacturing stages), or they're just making it all up (al la MOSR).

It'll be interesting to see how accurate MacBidouille winds up being.

[DeusOmnis]

It's pretty dumb that apple computers havnt had at least 5.1 sound so far. I hope it has a digital out too.

[Frobozz]

Originally posted by TylerL
More often than not, that's a grin of "Yes, I read the rumor sites too, and that's all the 'inside info' we get." on Apple Retail faces.

Well, yes, but I think "big news" may be Quark 6, for example. But Quark's big coming out part will be July's Create expo. I think that, if the Genius is smart (is this self evident?) that he will say "no comment" because it's the only thing he can consistently say without implying anything. It's a standard response. He'd lose his job if that answer was anything else. Or worse, could get sued. On the other hand, he probably doesn't know anything because the stores probably don't know what, if anything, they are receiving.

I work in an industry where I often have to respond with "no comment" to questions about impending tech. This is weather or not I know anything about it. If I say "no", that's confirmation just as much as "yes."

[Mr. Anderson]

It would be nice to see USB 2 on the USB ports. If Apple stayed with USB 1.1 they'd be hurting themselves.

Sounds good otherwise....can't wait to see the new machines

D

[DeusOmnis]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
While this is somewhat interesting (Ooooohh... Mystery Ports), what I want to know is what the deal is with the folks at MacBidouille?

Just about every single Powermac 970 story broken in the last month has come straight from MacBidouille. I want to know where they're getting this seemingly fantastic amount information.

I would guess that either they've got one hell of a source in Apple (or many sources at various manufacturing stages), or they're just making it all up (al la MOSR).

It'll be interesting to see how accurate MacBidouille winds up being.

They're doing a heck of a job lying... though i'd be surprised if the really have this many good sources, like you said.

[nuckinfutz]

Also, 3 audio connectors seems odd

5.1 Audio can be easily split amongst 3 stereo mini jacks. 3 ports pretty much guarantees 5.1 Audio.

. I hope it has a digital out too.

Probably not going to happen. What Digital Out would you use? SPDIF is stereo only. There is no industry standard multichannel Digital I/O.

[Frobozz]

Originally posted by hvfsl
At last it looks like Macs will have 5.1 sound. I was going to get a 12in powerbook, but I will now wait to see what Apple releases in June. I wanted to get a mac desktop, but one of the major problems with them is the lack of 5.1 sound.

You'd only be solving half your problem by getting hardware that support 5.1 surround. The other half is software. Aside from perhaps high end audio apps and a handful of games, nothing else supports it.

[Foxer]

Originally posted by Frobozz
[B]why have 2 firewire 800 and 1 firewire 400 ports? Why not nuke the FW400? Isn't FW800 backwards compatible?
/B]

The ports are different, I know that from my DP 1.4

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by DeusOmnis
They're doing a heck of a job lying... though i'd be surprised if the really have this many good sources, like you said.

If MacBidouille is actually posting real info here, all they'd need is one really good source in just the right place. But yes, I agree that it seems they're either making some things up or just jumping to quite a few conclusions.

[PensDevil]

MacBidouille details some features they claim to be on the upcoming motherboads. These include 2 FW800 ports, 1 FW400 port, 3 USB, 3 Audio Connectors, as well as 5 additional unidentified connectors (in a group of 3 and 2).

Three audio connectors isn't really anything new. Even the current generation iMac's have three audio connectors: line in, headphones (out), and the jack for the Apple Pro speakers.

Now, if these three audio connectors on the rumored motherboard are of a different style, then that's news.